In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good
cheer, I have overcome the world. —John 16:33
{CHAMBERS} “The
typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all
adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is
something very different. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. No evil shall befall you, nor
shall any plague come near your dwelling…” (Psalm 91:1,10)— the place where you
are at one with God. If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter
adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. “In the
world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.” He is saying, “There is nothing for you to fear.” […] God does not give
us overcoming life— He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what
builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you
asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are
willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will
immediately get the strength. […] God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or
for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to
face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense.”
{ELGIN} James wrote (James
1:2-7) “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various
kinds, for you know that the testing of
your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full
effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you
lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach,
and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the
one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he
is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Your ability to stand in the face of
adversity is a function of your faith.
Like Peter walking on the sea with Jesus, or the disciples in the boat
with Jesus, you are living out this new life with Jesus. Take your eyes off of Him, or forget Who He
is in the midst of some calamity and you are done! You are going to face problems in this life
.. but God has made a way for you to endure them, no matter how difficult they
might be. But, it requires faith to do
that. So many Christians try to deal
with the impossible on their own.
There are basically two ways that trials can come upon us. The first
is the fact that we live in a fallen world and are subject to the same ills
that befall all people. I know that many
Christians pray, “Lord, please don’t let a bad thing happen to me or my family.” I am not saying you should not pray for that,
however, more likely your prayer will one day become, “Lord, please help us
endure this bad thing that has happened to us.” The second way is a result of our own sin. We must deal with the consequence of our
sin. God forgives us and saves us from
hell, but that does not mean that He will protect us from the consequences of what
we have done. So what must we do? We must confess our sin to God. To confess means to take responsibility for
our actions and not blame them on someone else.
Then we must repent. We can only
be successful in repentance if we look to Jesus. And finally, we must ask God
to help us endure the difficulties that come with the consequences. In both ways, our success depends upon our
faith.
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